The present invention relates to the field of personal communications, and more particularly, to a method, apparatus, system and protocol for a network personal directory and a customer premise equipment (CPE) personal directory for storing, uploading and downloading data and executable programs.
Currently, there is vast growth in emerging technologies that permit users to upload and download data and/or programs from, for example, the Internet or other sources into their personal computers (PCs) or other communications devices. Accordingly, users are able to access and retain such data and/or programs for personal use at anytime in the future or store a copy in the network for subsequent download, distribution or as a backup. For example, a user may be able to download applications, games, and information for personal use. This permits users to easily obtain programs and/or data or update their existing programs and/or data.
In addition, users are able to receive and store information in their personal telephony CPE devices such as pagers, wired and wireless telephones including cellular and digital telephones, handheld communication devices, personal computers and any other suitable devices for receiving and storing information. Thus, information such as paging messages, stock quotes, sports scores, and/or e-mail messages can be received and stored in the pager and/or cellular and digital telephones. Accordingly, users are able to access and retain such data and can view it at any time in the future.
Currently, users are unable to download, for example, personal directories, applications, operating systems and/or games into, for example, their cellular and/or digital telephones. For example, currently, users are unable to upgrade their existing telephony CPE to take advantage of additional features that may be available. For example, a user may want to upgrade to new operating systems, calculators, calendars, additional ringing tones, games and a variety of other suitable data and/or programs that can increase the functionality of their telephony CPE. Currently, if a user desires these additional features, the user must incur substantial additional costs for a new device even though their current telephone circuitry can support the additional features. Thus, present systems are disadvantageous in that they do not permit a user to download the desired features and/or data into their communications device.
In addition, the user may want to maintain an information database or directory list for a personal user, such a directory list having names and phone numbers of frequently called parties. Using current systems, a user may verbally request such telephone numbers of a called party from, for example, a directory assistance operator. In the alternative, the user may have previously stored the telephone numbers of the frequently called parties in their telephony CPE, electronic directory, or a conventional written notebook directory where the user has previously noted the numbers of called parties. To retrieve the telephone number from directory assistance, the user will likely sustain a charge from the provider of the service and/or the telecommunication service provider and will spend additional time in doing so. Once the number is retrieved, the user generally has the option of being automatically connected to the called party, via directory assistance at an additional charge, or hanging up and dialing the retrieved number. Unfortunately, the mapping between one or more common names, for example, xe2x80x9cJoe""s Pizza Parlor,xe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cMom,xe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cthe Italian restaurant near the mall,xe2x80x9d and the telephone number is lost unless either the user memorizes, manually records, or manually loads the retrieved name and number into the CPE, written notebook or other device. Loading this number into a personal communications device or electronic directory currently requires a sequence of keystrokes immediately after the telephone number is obtained or after the call is terminated. This may be difficult for the user if the user is, for example, driving or in a meeting or otherwise unable to save the telephone number. In addition, using conventional techniques, saving such numbers can be time consuming and is typically not the user""s highest priority at that moment, and therefore likely to be deferred and likely forgotten. If the user fails to record this telephone number, the user may likely have to access directory assistance again to retrieve the called party number and be assessed additional charges and/or expend additional time. Even if the user records the telephone number, should the telephone number or the area code change, the number will become invalid.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,204,894 to Darden describes a Personal Electronic Directory (PED), where subscribers may call a special number to access their PED to store and retrieve names and telephone numbers. According to this patent the subscriber must call the special number and manually store the name and number into their PED. In other words, rather than xe2x80x9cmanuallyxe2x80x9d writing an entry into a paper directory, Darden teaches a method for xe2x80x9cmanuallyxe2x80x9d entering their number into their PED. However, similar problems exist, for example, mis-keying entries and/or forgetting to enter numbers into their PED. If the number has been manually entered previously, the subscriber can later access their PED to retrieve the previously stored number when required. Darden teaches a complicated flow of keystroke entries to store and access previously stored telephone numbers.
The system of Darden is disadvantageous in that it requires a user to call a special directory access number prior to manually storing and/or retrieving numbers from their personal directory. This additional step increases the difficulty in using the personal directory and increases the amount of time the user will spend completing the desired call. Further, if the user loses or is otherwise unable to recall the directory access number, the user will be unable to access their personal directory.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,764,731 to Yablon describes a system for delivering telephone numbers to a primary user""s telephone memory, such that the stored number can then be employed directly by the primary user for later memory redial of that number. The system utilizes a handshake/signal manager having the hardware and/or software to permit remote downloading of the telephone""s memory by a variety of remote number sources. The telephone number is entered into the telephone""s memory, not by the primary user but by a user or server device physically removed from the primary user""s telephone. The telephone locally stores the telephone number along with the other information identifying the called party, thus the numbers can be used directly from the phone""s memory for recall and signalling purposes.
The system disclosed in Yablon is disadvantageous in that all the directory information is stored locally in the primary user""s telephone. Thus, in the event the primary user loses or upgrades to another telephone all information residing in the first telephone is lost. Further, where the primary user has, for example, a wireless phone, a work phone and/or a home phone these independent devices are unable to share the plurality of locally residing information described in the system disclosed in Yablon.
Thus, there is a need for a method and system that permits users to download applications, operating systems and/or data into their telephony CPE for enhanced functionality and capabilities. There is also a need for intelligent telephony CPE (terminal apparatus) that is able to download from, or upload to a network, or copy to or from other devices, and run desired executables and/or data for enhanced functionality and capabilities. There is also a need for a personal network directory that can be updated and accessed automatically without a manual user interface step. There is also a need for a system and protocol that monitors a user""s dialing habits and/or preferences, using predefined personal communication devices, to automatically update the user""s personal network directory and monitor user preferences to provide personalized information to the user. Thus, there is a need for a personal replicatable network directory for telephone CPE that tracks and shares work and/or personal information so that information is available to the user at any time.
The present invention is directed to a method, system, protocol and apparatus for maintaining a personal network directory (PND) permitting a user and subscriber to store applications, operating systems and/or data for use via their personal telephony CPE, or for access via shared or publicly accessible devices. More significantly, the present invention overcomes the shortcomings of existing systems described above by providing a simple and user friendly methodology for permitting subscribers to maintain and use, for example, a personal directory list and/or upgrade data and/or upgrade features in their telephones.
The serving network or related networks may automatically preserve a personal history of telephone calls for either parties calling the user, calls from the personal communications device recording telephone numbers for callers and callees, or requests for directory assistance. The network can access related databases to retrieve or store locally further information about the caller, for example, caller preferences or callee, for example, name, telephone number and location. There may be a protocol established between the network and the subscriber""s personal communications device whereby a subscriber, such as one having a cellular telephone, can immediately access and download a needed telephone number such as that for their doctor without entering any directory access code or access number. The protocol may constantly monitor the subscriber""s calling habits to update, append and/or permit automatic access to the subscriber""s PND. The subscriber may further be able to predefine a plurality of terminal devices that may be similarly monitored in accordance with the protocol and have the ability to automatically share a common or related PND. In addition the subscriber may have a credit card, calling card or code to activate the communications protocol from any phone or customer equipment. Accordingly, the subscriber may have a single location for storing, for example, information for all parties the subscriber may communicate with either on a regular and/or less than regular basis. For security and/or privacy, the subscriber may be able to partition the directory so as to limit access to desired portions of their network directory and/or create multiple subsets of their directories that may be used by coworkers and/or members of the subscriber""s family. The stored information may include, for example, names, numbers, e-mail addresses, Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) and physical addresses of business associates, friends, relatives and/or local shops the subscriber usually frequents. A subscriber may be able to customize and personalize a plurality of rule sets to control the flow of information into and out of their PND. At the same time, the developed communications protocol and circuitry of a terminal device for a subscriber may be adapted to receive network software updates for consistency with the network, games, number or address changes of individuals or businesses, or any other kind of software and/or data updates conceivable.
One object of the present invention, then, is to permit a subscriber to download into a personal communications device, executable programs and/or data to enhance the functionality and capabilities of the CPE without purchasing a new device.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus, method, system, and protocol that simplifies, optimizes and synchronizes how a user can download, maintain, upload, and migrate data from updated personal directory having a variety of information. Accordingly, the system and protocol may be activated for operation every time the subscriber goes off hook, attempts to communicate using a plurality of pre-defined terminal devices or CPE and/or in the background while the CPE is in, for example, a standby mode, as in the case of a wireless device which is on, but not engaged in a specific call. The subscriber""s calling habits, preferences and/or activities while using the plurality of pre-defined terminal devices may be constantly monitored to maintain a single PND containing, for example, a single personal directory list (PDL) that may be appended or accessed automatically without manual entry of any directory access number. The PDL may be stored in the network and/or copies, or differing views or subsets of the network PDL may be downloadable directly into the subscriber""s personal communication device, terminal or CPE. Accordingly, the subscriber may have access to the data stored in, for example, their PDL current as of the moment of the last download even if the subscriber subsequently ventures outside their service territory or is otherwise in a location where access to their PND is not possible. Note that the CPE whose PDL is updated may differ from the one from which the call is placed. For, example, a call placed from a payphone, wherein the call is identified by the calling card or like means, may result in the PDL of a distant cellular telephone being updated accordingly.
In yet another embodiment, the user""s communication device is dumb and the network may be accessed and controlled from such a dumb telephone to access telephone numbers and the like for the user. Here the personal directory may be analogized to a network based bookmark list and log where the user from the xe2x80x9cdumbxe2x80x9d telephone may bookmark telephone numbers by appropriate command to the network when the user places the call, gets directory assistance or immediately upon receiving a call.